Advertisements: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How much was spent on advertisements by each Northern Ireland department in each of the past five years.

Lord Rooker: The following amounts were spent on advertisements in each of the Northern Ireland departments in 2003–04 and 2004–05.
	
		
			  Total Expenditure 
			 Department 2003–04 2004–05 
			 Office of the First Minister and DeputyFirst Minister £411,794 £290,810 
			 Agriculture and Rural Development £371,534 £375,827 
			 Culture, Arts and Leisure £24,758 £11,517 
			 Education £80,266 £74,337 
			 Employment and Learning £281,751 £621,531 
			 Enterprise, Trade and Investment £179,765 £91,738 
			 Environment £1,553,293 £1,721,408 
			 Finance and Personnel £300,329 £296,488 
			 Health, Social Service and Public Safety £394,191 £427,904 
			 Regional Development £24,282 £22,364 
			 Social Development £107,793 £100,645 
			 Totals £3,729,756 £4,034,569 
			 Northern Ireland Office £194,954 £315,618 
			 Grand Totals £3,924,710 £4,350,187 
		
	
	These figures include both classified newspaper advertising, such as public notices and recruitment, and all forms of campaign advertising using television, radio and other media. This expenditure is inclusive of production costs and media buying.
	The information requested for the other years could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Explosive-Suppressant Foam

Lord Luke: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many Royal Air Force aircraft are to be fitted with explosive-suppressant foam devices; and when these devices will be fitted.

Lord Drayson: A programme is currently under way to fit some of our Hercules aircraft with explosion suppressant foam. The first aircraft fitted is expected to be ready for operational deployment within the next few months. A number of other Royal Air Force fixed-wing aircraft are fitted with other kinds of fuel inerting system.

Armed Forces: Helicopters

Lord Garden: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What percentage of Joint Helicopter Command's deployable aircraft are currently deployed; and how this compares with planning assumptions.

Lord Drayson: The percentage of the Joint Helicopter Command's (JHC) deployable aircraft that are currently deployed, and how this compares with defence planning assumptions (DPA) is shown in the table below.
	
		
			 Aircraft Type Deployable Fleet Deployed Aircraft Percentage Defence Planning Assumptions (DPA) Percentage of DPA 
			 Attack Helicopter:  
			 Apache 16 8 50 16 50 
			 Light Utility:  
			 Lynx 56 10 18 20 50 
			 Medium Lift:  
			 Merlin 12 7 58 6 117 
			 Puma 14 5 36 10 50 
			 Sea King 4/6 20 8 40 12 67 
			 Heavy Lift:  
			 Chinook 21 12 57 19 63 
		
	
	DPAs reflect the maximum number of aircraft that we assume could be deployed to meet the current level of concurrent operations. Currently, JHC helicopters are committed to two medium-scale operations and one small-scale operation.

Armed Forces: Low Flying

Earl Peel: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their response to the recent decision by the Ministry of Defence to resume unrestricted low-flying operations with Apache helicopters over moorland areas designated either as special protection areas or sites of special scientific interest, bearing in mind that English Nature does not agree with the findings of the Otterburn trial which determined that decision.

Lord Rooker: I understand that the Ministry of Defence (MoD), as the competent authority in accordance with its obligations under the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994, has carried out an appropriate assessment into the possible effects of operations with Apache helicopters on the North York Moors and North Pennine Moors SPA. The conclusion that the MoD has reached is that these operations will not have an adverse effect on the integrity of these sites. I understand that English Nature does not agree to the conclusion of this appropriate assessment primarily because it considers that it fails to address whether or not disturbance by Apache helicopters is detrimental to populations of SPA qualifying bird species within the two sites.
	I understand that the MoD is establishing monitoring to further increase scientific understanding of potential impacts, which will be used to inform future decisions for Apache training and ensure that the integrity of the Natura 2000 network is maintained.
	There are ongoing discussions between my officials in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, MoD and English Nature, and I have asked to be kept informed of progress.

Armed Forces: Search and Rescue

Lord Garden: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What forces are currently tasked with combat search and rescue; and how they currently relate to the United Kingdom search and rescue helicopter capability.

Lord Drayson: Combat search and rescue is a specialist subset of joint personnel recovery operations. It refers to the recovery of isolated personnel when conducted in a threat environment. Allocation of resources for this task on current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan is a coalition responsibility, provided by US forces. The UK's search and rescue helicopter capability is not deployed to conduct this role. UK search and rescue helicopters are provided by the Ministry of Defence, in conjunction with the DfT; this capability ensures that the most timely and effective response is available to assist and recover service personnel and civilians in hazardous situations within the UK search and rescue region.

Armed Forces: Search and Rescue

Lord Garden: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have for development of combat search and rescue capabilities.

Lord Drayson: The UK is developing a combat recovery operations capability, of which combat search and rescue is a subset. This will be achieved through the utilisation of existing support helicopter assets from within Joint Helicopter Command.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bach on 22 March (WA 53), whether the specificity and the sensitivity of single intradermal comparative cervical tuberculin tests are continuously monitored; and, if so, what is their response to the demonstrable signs of tuberculosis found in 33.6 per cent of skin test reactors slaughtered in 2005.

Lord Rooker: The performance of the single intradermal comparative cervical tuberculin (SICCT) test under GB field conditions is continuously monitored using a number of TB epidemiological parameters. Quoted sensitivity and specificity ranges for diagnostic tests are established from research studies and published in the scientific literature.
	For bovine TB, the most sensitive tests for diagnosis of infection depend on the identification of the immune response mounted by an animal in response to being exposed to the causative organism, as detected through tuberculin skin testing or gamma interferon blood testing.
	Historically, between 30 and 40 per cent of SICCT test reactors have demonstrable evidence of infection when slaughtered.
	The primary purpose of post mortem and bacteriological culture of test reactors is not to establish the presence or absence of disease, but rather to identify the severity and strain of infection—this is useful for epidemiological purposes and supports subsequent disease control efforts.
	TB skin test reactors that fail to disclose disease in the slaughterhouse or laboratory should not be considered as being uninfected. In essence, post mortem examination and microbiological culture are not the gold standards for diagnosis of M. bovis infections as both methods are less sensitive than immunological tests such as the SICCT test. Moreover, these tests are used in different cattle populations. The SICCT is primarily used as a screening test for cattle showing no clinical signs of disease, whereas post mortem and culture are used as tests on a subpopulation of cattle selected on the basis of positive results to a screening test. The different nature of these populations will affect the performance of any tests used on them. A direct comparison of the performance of tests that ignores these differences in populations is, therefore, not valid.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bach on 22 March (WA 53), whether, in the light of the 2005 results from single intradermal comparative cervical tuberculin tests, they plan a rapid move to the use of polymerase chain reaction tests.

Lord Rooker: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods may be beneficial in speeding up culture confirmation of M. bovis in post mortem cattle samples. However, research to date has shown PCR to be inferior in terms of sensitivity, specificity and overall reliability when compared to conventional culture of tissues taken from cattle reacting to the tuberculin skin test.
	This is reflected in current European Union TB legislation, which recognises only the intradermal tuberculin test and ancillary gamma-interferon blood tests as approved methods for the diagnosis of TB in live cattle. Nevertheless, Defra continues to support the development of PCR assays for more rapid routine identification in the laboratory of M. bovis from tissues taken from skin test reactors.
	Officials have recently received the final report of the Defra-funded Review and Economic Analysis of the Use of Rapid Methods for Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Complex Detection and Identification in the Bovine TB Control Programme. This included a critical review of PCR assays currently available for the detection and identification of M. bovis and a cost benefit analysis for their incorporation into routine bovine TB testing in Great Britain. Officials are considering the content of this report in the context of developing policies to control bovine TB.

British Citizenship

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 2 May (WA 48) and having regard to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 26 October 2005 (WA 187), whether they accept the clarification of Nepalese citizenship law set out in the letter from the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers of Nepal which has been placed in the Library of the House; and
	Whether, to enhance transparency, consistency and accountability, they will add an annexe to chapter 14 of the Nationality Instructions reflecting the provisions of the citizenship law of Nepal.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: It is our intention to include information about Nepalese citizenship law in the Nationality Instructions. The Nepalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has provided some information about this already, but further clarification is needed on some points. Copies of the note verbale sent by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 24 March and the initial response received from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Civil Service: Written Instructions

Viscount Goschen: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	On what occasions since May 1997, and in respect of which policy issues, written instructions have been given by Ministers to (a) Permanent Secretaries, and (b) other senior officials.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: I assume that the Question concerns ministerial directions. These are given when a Minister directs an accounting officer, usually in writing, to proceed in accordance with his or her policy decision even though the accounting officer has formally notified the Minister of an objection to the Minister's proposed course of action because of concerns about propriety, regularity or value for money.
	Departments are required to notify the Treasury when a direction has been issued and to send relevant papers to the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) without delay. It is then a matter for the C&AG to decide what action he wants to take and whether to refer the matter to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman.
	The following table lists the ministerial directions to accounting officers of which the Treasury has been informed since 1997.
	
		
			 Year Department Subject of Direction Category ofDirection 
			 1997 DETR Millennium Exhibition: Expenditure to regenerate the Greenwich peninsula and to provide a site for the Millennium Exhibition Economy, efficiency and effectiveness 
			 1997 DETR Channel Tunnel Rail Link and exceptional hardship Economy, efficiency and effectiveness 
			 1998 The former Department of Social Security (DSS) Benefits Agency/Post Office Counters Ltd (BA/POCL) automation project Economy, efficiency and effectiveness 
			 1998 DSS Benefits Agency/Post Office Counters Ltd (BA/POCL) automation project Economy, efficiency and effectiveness 
			 1998 Northern Ireland Court Service Concerns an individual's personnel records Propriety/regularity 
			 1998 MoD Sale of cadet property in Moffat Propriety/regularity 
			 1998 DSS Benefits Integrity Project Propriety/regularity 
			 1999 DSS Benefits Integrity Project Propriety/regularity 
			 1999 DSS Benefits Integrity Project Propriety/regularity 
			 1999 ECGD Cashmere Exporters Economy, efficiency and effectiveness 
			 1999 ECGD ECGD Cover—Indonesia Economy, efficiency and effectiveness 
			 2000 ECGD ECGD Cover—Romania Economy, efficiency and effectiveness 
			 2000 MoD Use of public funds to provide financial assistance to meet cost of air flight to Croatia for member of public to attend trial of those accused of murder of his son, a British serviceman Propriety/regularity 
			 2001 MoD Roll-on, roll-off (RoRo) ferries Economy, efficiency and effectiveness 
			 2001 Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) Regularity/propriety 
			 2002 DETR A43 Silverstone bypass Economy, efficiency and effectiveness 
			 2003 DTI Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) Economy, efficiency and effectiveness 
			 2003 MoD Acquisition of BAe Hawk trainer aircraft Economy, efficiency and effectiveness 
			 2005 DTI Bombardier C-series 
			 launch investment Economy, efficiency and effectiveness

Control Orders

Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many people are currently subjected to control orders; how many are British citizens; and how many are foreign nationals.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: There are 12 control orders in force, four of which are in respect of British citizens.

Crime: Domestic Violence

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In each of the past five years, how many people have been convicted of domestic violence in Northern Ireland.

Lord Rooker: Current sources of prosecutions and convictions data do not include the necessary background information to facilitate the identification of offences relating specifically to domestic violence.
	The PSNI has continued to improve the methods by which domestic incidents and crimes are recorded; clearance rates by PSNI district command unit for recorded crimes with a domestic motivation were published for the first time in June 2005 in the PSNI statistical report 2004-05. The most recent 2005-06 report includes for the first time, the numbers of offences linked to the breach of non-molestation orders. These reports are available on the PSNI website at www.psni.police.uk.
	In 2005-06 the PSNI attended 23,059 domestic-related incidents. Of these 10,768 were recorded as crimes; the clearance rate was 77.5 per cent.
	Non-molestation or occupancy orders are not offences in their own right. However, breach of such an order is an offence, though it is not possible in such instances to identify solely those which relate to domestic violence. In 2003, the most up-to-date information currently available, there were 239 persons convicted for breach of a non-molestation order and 39 convicted for breach of an occupation order.

Defra: Market Transformation Programme

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many "Quick Wins" products have now been identified by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs's market transformation programme.

Lord Rooker: Working with key stakeholders, Defra's market transformation programme has identified a total of 54 products for inclusion in the proposed revised list of "Quick Wins". These can be viewed at www.mtprog.com/ReferenceLibrary/Quick–Wins–Candidate–Specifications–Sep–2005.pdf.

Easter Rising 1916

Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they regard celebrations of Irish republican violence during Easter 1916 as a glorification of terrorism.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Section 1 of the Terrorism Act 2006, which came into force on 13 April 2006, creates an offence of encouragement of terrorism including glorification of the commission or preparation of acts of terrorism. Section 1 contains a number of safeguards relating to this offence. For the offence to be committed, it requires a person who publishes a statement to intend it to be understood as encouraging others to commit terrorist acts or to be reckless as to whether it will be understood in that way; it requires that the statement is likely to be understood by people to whom it is directed as encouragement to them to carry out acts of terrorism; and it requires that what is being glorified is capable of being emulated in current circumstances. Prosecutions are a matter for the police and the prosecuting authorities and much depends on the specific circumstances of each case.

Energy: Carbon Emissions

Lord Vinson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What percentage of the United Kingdom's current energy use and existing carbon emissions will be reduced through energy savings.

Lord Rooker: Supplying energy on an energy services basis offers the potential for reducing demand and carbon emissions by overcoming some of the major barriers to energy efficiency investment, such as a lack of capital and high up-front costs. The potential reductions in energy use and carbon emissions that can be achieved through the energy services approach cannot currently be expressed in percentage terms.
	HM Treasury hosted a seminar in January 2006 to explore how government and the business community can encourage the development of energy services markets in the UK. Following the seminar, an independent industry group is developing proposals on energy services and demand reduction, which will feed into the energy review.

EU: Food Chain and Animal Health

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Who is the United Kingdom representative on the European Union Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health; and
	What advice they have given to the United Kingdom representative on the European Union Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health with regard to the lifting of a ban on the imports of wild birds from third countries.

Lord Rooker: The Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH) has eight sections. Details can be found at www.ec.europa.eu/comm/food/committees/requlatory/index—en.htm.
	There is no single UK representative. However, Defra is represented at SCoFCAH meetings on animal health and animal welfare, controls and import conditions, and biological safety of the food chain. The Chief Veterinary Officer is the official representative for the UK on these sections, although attendance is usually provided by the relevant veterinary and technical expert, depending on the agenda for individual meetings.
	It is unclear how the avian influenza status in third countries will change over time. Decisions taken at SCoFCAH on the imports of wild birds from third countries are made on the basis of close co-operation between the European Commission and EU member states on how best to manage the risk to the EU's health status from such imports at any given time.

European Court of Human Rights:Non-implementation of Judgments

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Ashton of Upholland on 10 January (WA 34–42), why they have not taken remedial action under section 10 of the Human Rights Act 1998 to give full effect to the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights which found breaches of the convention rights in the following cases: (a) Hirst; (b) Paul and Audrey Edwards; (c) Connors; (d) SC; (e) HI; (f) Quinn; (g) John Murray; (h) Kevin Murray; (i) Magee & Averill; (j) JT; (k) TP & KM; and (l) Roche.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: (a) The Government have undertaken to issue a full public consultation on the issue of prisoners' voting rights in response to this judgment. It is premature to consider whether legislative amendment is necessary.
	(b) The Government have taken a series of administrative measures to give effect to this judgment, including arrangements to identify and monitor prisoners who may be at risk of suicide or self-harm. None of these required amendments to primary legislation.
	(c) The Housing Act 2004 enables judges to suspend eviction orders against residents on local authority Gypsy and Traveller sites for periods of up to 12 months at a time, bringing the situation in line with tenants of local authority housing. The Government are currently considering whether any further primary legislation is required to implement this judgment.
	(d) The European Court of Human Rights did not find in this case that any provision of United Kingdom legislation was incompatible with the convention rights. However, the Government have been working to develop a package of special procedures to assist defendants with limited cognitive function to participate effectively in their trials. The majority of these procedures will be contained in a new practice direction, although some primary legislation may be necessary as parliamentary time allows.
	(e) & (j) The Government are currently considering appropriate amendments to the Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act. Human rights considerations will of course be taken fully into account, including the impact of these judgments.
	(f), (g), (h) & (i) The Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1988 was amended by the Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1999. A review of police and criminal evidence legislation and codes of practice in Northern Ireland has been completed and is currently the subject of public consultation. Until these are implemented, administrative guidance issued to the Chief Constable and by the Attorney-General to prosecutors will continue to apply.
	(k) The position in relation to this case is as set out in the Answer given by my noble friend Lord Adonis on 24 April 2006 (Official Report, col. WA 2).
	(l) Given that the European Court of Human Rights did not find that the legislation involved was itself incompatible in this case, the Government do not believe that a remedial order is necessary. Instead, an action plan to ensure that staff are better equipped to handle information requests such as in this case has been developed and is being implemented.

Identity Fraud: Corporations

Lord Rana: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many instances of corporate identity theft have been reported by the Companies Registry in Northern Ireland; and what steps are being taken by the Companies Registry in Northern Ireland to address the problem of corporate identity theft.

Lord Rooker: There have been no instances of corporate identity theft reported by the Companies Registry in Northern Ireland. Current procedures and systems are continually under review to protect companies from such theft.

Industrial and Provident Societies

Lord Clark of Windermere: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are the controls to ensure that companies established under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 2002 practise good governance; and which regulatory body is responsible.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: Societies are not registered under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 2002 but under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965. The majority of registered societies established under the 1965 Act are unregulated, unless they are set up to provide regulated services, such as housing under the Housing Act 1996 or financial services under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. In that case, the appropriate regulatory authority may set the governance requirements; otherwise, the society's internal rules will determine their governance.
	No single body has regulatory responsibility for all industrial and provident societies (IPSs). IPS charities are currently not regulated but will be regulated by the Charities Commission when the Charities Bill is enacted. Community development finance institutions (CDFIs) are not regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), but their trade association, the Community Development Finance Association (CDFA), has proposed publishing a code of practice as an alternative to regulation.

InterTradeIreland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 18 April (WA 183) concerning allegations of religious discrimination at the cross-border implementation body entitled InterTradeIreland, when the urgent inquiry will be completed; and whether its findings will be published.

Lord Rooker: Both sponsor departments and the InterTradeIreland board are working to complete the investigations quickly. However, it is not yet possible to indicate when the inquiry will be completed. The two departments and the board will wish to consider the findings of the inquiry before deciding the question of publication.

North/South Implementation Bodies

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 26 April (WA 38) concerning the decision by Waterways Ireland to purchase chocolates for all staff members, which cross-border implementation bodies have provided similar gifts out of public funds for their staff.

Lord Rooker: In 2001 InterTradeIreland contributed £200 towards the cost of the staff Christmas meal from public funds. This issue was subsequently raised by the Northern Ireland Audit Office and there has been no repeat expenditure.

Northern Ireland

Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Statement by the Lord Rooker on 19 April (WS 145-47), what is the nature of the "partnership, north and south" which the joint statement of the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach of the Irish Republic at Armagh on 6 April envisaged would give expression to "the legitimate aspiration of nationalists and republicans for a united Ireland".

Lord Rooker: My right honourable friend the Prime Minister emphasised in his speech accompanying the joint statement of 6 April, which I subsequently laid before this House, that the Belfast agreement was based on,
	"mutual respect for a difference of view",
	in which both unionist and nationalist aspirations held equal legitimacy. The Government's preference remains for the full implementation of that agreement.
	Should recalled Assembly members be unable to elect a First Minister and Deputy First Minister and form an executive by November 24, there would be a need to develop further British-Irish partnership arrangements. Such arrangements would ensure that the Belfast agreement's provisions for practical co-operation on a north-south and east-west basis were actively developed for the benefit of all.

Parliamentary Ombudsman

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 29 March (WA 126), on how many occasions since 1997, and in respect of which specific recommendations, the Food Standards Agency refused or omitted to give effect to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman.

Lord Warner: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) was set up in 2000. There are no occasions on which the FSA has refused or omitted to give effect to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman. This Answer includes recommendations made in relation to the Meat Hygiene Service, an executive agency of the FSA, or to any FSA advisory committees.

Parliamentary Ombudsman

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 29 March (WA 126), on how many occasions since 1997, and in respect of which specific recommendations, the Northern Ireland Courts Service has refused or omitted to give effect to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The Northern Ireland Court Service has not refused or omitted to give effect to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman on any occasion.

Parliamentary Ombudsman

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 29 March (WA 126), on how many occasions since 1997, and in respect of which specific recommendations, the Office of Water Services has refused or omitted to give effect to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman.

Lord Rooker: There have been no occasions on which Ofwat has refused or omitted to give effect to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman.

Parliamentary Ombudsman

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 29 March (WA 126), on how many occasions since 1997, and in respect of which specific recommendations, the Strategic Rail Authority has refused or omitted to give effect to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman.

Lord Davies of Oldham: There have been no such cases.

Passports

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether a British passport applicant who pays the correct fee on the date his application is received by the appropriate authority is required to make an additional payment if the fee for the issue of a passport is increased after his application is received.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: No. The fee the applicant is required to pay is the appropriate fee at the time the application is received by the passport office.

Peace Funding: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 26 April (HL 4652), whether the application for a grant for the West Tyrone Voice from Peace II funding has been accepted; if not, why it has been declined; and whether they will place all the documentation concerning the decision in the Library of the House.

Lord Rooker: The application for Peace II funding by the West Tyrone Voice referred to in my reply HL 4652 was unsuccessful. This was because the particular application did not meet the reconciliation criteria as defined by the Peace II programme. All documentation concerning this application will be placed in the Library.

Police: Childcare Facilities

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answers by the Lord President on 2 February 2005 (WA 38) and 16 March 2005 (WA 134), what consultations took place on the recommendations in section 15, paragraph 11, of the Patten report regarding the introduction of childcare facilities, childcare vouchers and flexible shift arrangements for police officers; and what has been the outcome of these consultations; and
	Further to the Written Answers by the Lord President on 2 February 2005 (WA 38) and 16 March 2005 (WA 134), whether the recommendations in section 15, paragraph 11, of the Patten report regarding the introduction of childcare facilities, childcare vouchers and flexible shift arrangements for police officers have been put into effect as a result of focus groups held between the end of 2003 and April 2004 and a subsequent external consultant's report; and
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 7 April 2005 (WA 135), whether they will recompense police officers who did not benefit from childcare facilities, childcare vouchers and flexible shift arrangements following the Patten recommendations on the issue.

Lord Rooker: The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has advised that there has been ongoing internal consultation in respect of childcare vouchers, salary sacrifice schemes and childcare facilities. There have also been recent meetings with the Inland Revenue about tax implications. Further meetings are planned to determine if there are any legal obstacles to implementing such schemes.
	Similarly, there is ongoing internal consultation on how best to further address issues of work/life balance and flexible shift arrangements for police officers, and the area of special leave provisions is currently under consideration. In November 2003 the PSNI introduced a general order that allows police officers to request flexible working. This has been utilised by police officers since its introduction.
	The PSNI has advised that there will be no compensation for police officers who have not been able to benefit from childcare schemes.

Police: Reorganisation

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How much they estimate their proposals for police force restructuring throughout England and Wales will cost; what proportion of the costs they will meet; and what that proportion of the costs will cover.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The estimated once-for-all set-up costs of strategic police forces in England and Wales is still under review by Ministers.

Political Parties: Funding

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether clauses contained in loan agreements to political parties requiring the identity of the donors and the terms of loans to remain confidential can be overridden where the public interest in disclosure so requires.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: Amendments tabled to the Electoral Administration Bill on 26 April introduce a regime for the declaration of loans to political parties similar to the requirements for the declaration of donations in the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. All loans to a political party existing at the time that the provisions come into force, and future loans, will have to be reported.
	We believe that the public interest in the disclosure of the identity of the donors and the terms of the loan overrides any confidentiality clauses in any existing or future loan agreements that may be in place. This is to further strengthen and maintain the principles of openness and transparency on which the funding of political parties is based.

Prisoners: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In each year, how many prisoners released as a result of the Belfast agreement of 1998 have been recalled to prison; how many have been charged with offences; and how many have been convicted.

Lord Rooker: Since the Northern Ireland (Sentences) Act 1998 came into force on 10 April 1998 the number of persons who have had their licences suspended and been recalled to prison in each year under this legislation and the numbers of those charged and convicted of offences are as shown in the table below. (This is out of a total of 448 persons who have been released early on their sentences under the Act).
	
		
			 Year Number Recalled Charged Not Charged Number Convicted 
			 1998 0 0 0 0 
			 1999 0 0 0 0 
			 2000 2 1 1 1 
			 2001 3 2 1 2 
			 2002 2 2 0 2 
			 2003 2 1 1 1 
			 2004 1 1 0 1 
			 2005 5 *3 2 *2 
			 2006** 1 *1 0 *0 
			 Totals 16 11 5 9 
		
	
	**as at 8 May 2006
	*1 x case in each of these years still subject to criminal proceedings.
	Prisoner Releases under the Good Friday agreement/Northern Ireland (Sentences) Act 1998
	The Good Friday agreement was supported by over 70 per cent. of the Northern Ireland population and is believed to offer the best hope for a fair and peaceful future. It contained many difficult compromises not least that relating to the early release of prisoners. This element has been particularly difficult for victims.
	As part of the agreement a programme for the accelerated release of prisoners was established by both Governments. This included prisoners convicted of scheduled (terrorist-type) offences in Northern Ireland and transferred prisoners—those sentenced outside Northern Ireland but convicted of similar offences. Prisoners affiliated to organisations which had not established or were not maintaining a complete and unequivocal ceasefire did not and still do not benefit from the arrangements.
	The Northern Ireland (Sentences) Act 1998 which gave effect to the prisoners section of the agreement came into force on 28 July 1998. This established independent sentence review commissioners (SRC) to consider applications from individual prisoners. To date (8 May 2006) 448 prisoners have been granted early release by the commissioners; 157 of them were life sentence prisoners. Of the 448 prisoners released, 194 were affiliated to loyalist organisations, 242 were republican and 12 had no particular affiliation.
	Important safeguards were built into the Sentences Act. Those released under the Act were released on licence conditional on them not supporting a specified organisation; not becoming involved in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism; and, in the case of a life sentence prisoner, not becoming a danger to the public. The Secretary of State may suspend a licence and a licensee be returned to prison if he/she is believed to have, or is likely to have, broken all or any of his/her licence conditions.
	Of those released to date 16 have been found to be in breach of the terms of their licences and have had their licences suspended. Thirteen of these were loyalists and three were republicans.
	Although the vast majority of prisoners who were eligible have now been released, it is possible that, in the future, individuals who are convicted of scheduled offences committed before the date of the Good Friday agreement may be eligible to apply for early release under the Sentences Act.

Railways: Ballymena to Londonderry Line

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 3 May (HL 5339) concerning investment in Northern Ireland Railways, how much they plan to invest in the line between Ballymena and Londonderry over the next five years.

Lord Rooker: Translink plans to carry out track life extension work on the railway line between Ballymena and Londonderry. The project is estimated to cost £10.5 million and, subject to departmental approval, will commence early in 2007 with an expected duration of two years to completion. In addition there will be ongoing maintenance of the line.

Restorative Justice: Northern Ireland

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 9 March (WA 168), whether they are aware of any sexual assault on young girls by members of Community Restorative Justice; if so, whether any such incidents have been dealt with by the police.

Lord Rooker: The Government have been consulting on draft guidelines that would introduce new rules and standards for those working in these organisations. The Government will bring forward proposals on how we will take this forward in the next few weeks.

Rural Areas: Petrol Stations

Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have studied the effects of the closure of filling stations in rural areas; and, if so, whether they have identified the extra cost per litre of fuel delivery to rural rather than urban and city areas.

Lord Rooker: The Department of Trade and Industry has the lead responsibility for petrol stations. The DTI has not studied the effects of the closure of filling stations in rural areas, as it believes that the consumer is best served by the operation of open competition between companies. The DTI does, however, co-ordinate the Downstream Oil Industry Forum's Rural Motorist Task Force, which examines the issues impacting on rural filling stations. Defra and the Commission for Rural Communities sit on this group.
	The Commission for Rural Communities monitors the provision of rural filling stations annually in its State of the Countryside report. Figures over the past five years show that the percentage of households living within four kilometres of a filling station has remains fairly stable at 90 per cent. in 2000, 90 per cent. in 2004 and 89 per cent. in 2005.

Schools: Bullying

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In each of the last six years, whether any teachers at Larchfield Primary School in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead filed complaints about harassment and bullying; if so, how many complaints were filed; on what dates; what was the procedure used; and what was the outcome.

Lord Adonis: The Department for Education and Skills does not record the information requested. Cases involving staff complaining about harassment and bullying by a colleague are a matter for the employer which is, in the majority of schools, the local authority. We expect issues of this nature to be resolved at a local level, and the department would not ordinarily be involved in the process.

Schools: Professional Body for Teachers

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their reaction to recent suggestions that a professional body for teachers in English schools, along the lines of the British Medical Association for doctors, should be created.

Lord Adonis: The General Teaching Council for England is the independent professional body for teachers in England. The council maintains and promotes a high standard of professional conduct among teachers through registration and regulation. It also works strategically with other bodies in the sector in areas such as research and policy development, and offers some professional development opportunities.
	There are, of course, a number of professional associations, which teachers are free to join.

Sexual Offences

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many of those convicted of (a) rape, and identified as high-risk, and (b) child abuse are now free within Northern Ireland; and what level of supervision is mandatory in such circumstances.

Lord Rooker: On 4 May 2006, there were 10 offenders with convictions for the offence of rape who had been assessed as high-risk and were being managed in Northern Ireland under multi-agency sex offender risk assessment and management (MASRAM) arrangements.
	The term child abuse is not a defined offence in statute and is commonly used to describe both sexual and violent abuse. However, those offenders convicted of sexual offences against children who are required to notify their details to the police under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 once released into the community following sentence are all subject to multi-agency risk assessment and management arrangements. Current figures for this group of offenders are being collated and I will write to the noble Lord when this has been completed.
	An offender subject to a custody probation order or a sex offender licence will be subject to mandatory supervision by the Probation Board for Northern Ireland (PBNI). Under PBNI standards of practice, agreed with the NIO and judiciary, there is an expectation for at least weekly planned contact with the offender. One of these planned contacts should be at their home once per month as well as one unannounced home visit per month. There may be additional conditions/requirements on their licence or order as part of their statutory supervision imposed at sentence or pre-release, for example, requirements such as attending treatment programmes or to reside in approved accommodation. On 28 February 2006 PBNI were supervising 96 offenders who had committed sexual offences against children and young people and 82 offenders who had committed sexual offences against adults.

Sexual Offences: Child Protection

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether law enforcement agencies in other countries are informed when those who have been convicted of paedophilia are released from prison in the United Kingdom.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: All sex offenders subject to the notification requirements of Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003—more commonly known as the sex offenders register—are required to notify the police of any foreign travel of three days' duration or more. This will include those persons convicted of child sex offences. On receipt of that information, it is for the police responsible for the management of that offender to decide whether or not to prevent the offender from travelling and, if they do not, whether it is necessary or appropriate to advise the authorities in the country of destination. Failure to notify foreign travel is an offence punishable by up to five years' imprisonment.

Tax Credits

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether additional sums have been paid as child tax credits in error; if so, by which administrative process any such error occurred; how many people have been required to make repayments as a result; and what is the total sum involved.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: This information is not available. Overpayments are a feature of the flexible tax credits system and can result from a combination of changes in circumstances and incomes, which can also be reported at different times.

Tax Credits

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What would have been the saving in 2004-05 of reducing the second income threshold for tax credits to (a) £25,000; (b) £30,000; (c) £35,000; (d) £40,000; and (e) £45,000.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The estimated annual saving in 2004-05 of reducing the second income threshold as shown below is:
	
		
			 Option Estimated annual saving 
			 (a) reduce to £25,000 £0.8 billion 
			 (b) reduce to £30,000 £0.6 billion 
			 (c) reduce to £35,000 £0.3 billion 
			 (d) reduce to £40,000 £0.2 billion 
			 (e) reduce to £45,000 Negligible 
		
	
	These costs have been estimated using the department's tax and benefit model.

Tax Credits

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What would have been the cost or saving in 2004-05 of eliminating the second income threshold and making all tax credits subject to the first income threshold if the first withdrawal rate were (a) maintained at 37 per cent; (b) reduced to 30 per cent; (c) reduced to 35 per cent; (d) increased to 40 per cent; and (e) increased to 45 per cent.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The estimated annual cost of eliminating the second income threshold, making all tax credits subject to the first withdrawal rate and changing the first threshold rates in 2004-05 are shown in the table.
	
		
			 Eliminate second income threshold, makeall tax credits subject to first withdrawalrate and Estimated annual cost(saving) 
			 (a) maintain rate at 37 per cent (£1.2 billion) 
			 (b) reduce rate to 30 per cent £0.9 billion 
			 (c) reduce rate to 35 per cent (£0.7 billion) 
			 (d) increase rate to 40 per cent (£1.9 billion) 
			 (e) increase rate to 45 per cent (£2.8 billion) 
		
	
	These estimates have been produced using the department's tax and benefit model.

Taxation: Income Tax

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	For the latest year for which figures are available, what is the cost of the relief from income tax provided on benefits as a result of employees earning less than £8,500 per annum.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: Where no tax is due on employer-provided benefits in kind, because the employee earns less than £8,500 per annum, employers are not required to report the information to HM Revenue and Customs. Therefore, the cost of the relief from income tax on these benefits is not available.

Taxation: Personal Allowance

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord McKenzie of Luton on 14 March (WA 220), what would have been the cost in 2005-06 of giving couples the option of transferring to a partner any unused part of the basic personal allowance of £4,895 if the option was restricted to (a) couples with a child aged five years or under; (b) couples with a child aged 11 years or under; (c) couples in receipt of child benefit; (d) couples with a child aged five years or under and the relief were restricted to a maximum of 22 per cent; (e) couples with a child aged 11 years or under and the relief were restricted to a maximum of 22 per cent; and (f) couples in receipt of child benefit and the relief were restricted to a maximum of 22 per cent.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The estimated annual cost of permitting the basic personal allowance (of £4,895 per year) to be transferable in the following circumstances, holding all other rates constant:
	(a) for couples with at least one child aged five years or younger is £0.7 billion;
	(b) for couples with at least one child aged 11 years or younger is £1.2 billion;
	(c) for all couples with children is £1.6 billion;
	(d) for couples with at least one child aged five years or younger, while ensuring that the relief were restricted to a maximum of 22 per cent, is £0.7 billion;
	(e) for couples with at least one child aged 11 years or younger, while ensuring that the relief were restricted to a maximum of 22 per cent, is £1.1 billion; and
	(f) for all couples with children, while ensuring that the relief were restricted to a maximum of 22 per cent, is £1.4 billion.
	These estimates exclude any behavioural response to the change, which could be significant given the magnitude of the change. Because of the complex nature of this Question, the estimates should be treated with caution.
	The estimates were calculated using the department's tax and benefit model (IGOTM) based on data from the Family Resources Survey 2003–04, uprated to 2005–06 prices.

Taxation: Personal Allowance

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord McKenzie of Luton on 14 March (WA 220), what would have been the cost in 2005-06 of giving couples the option of transferring to a partner any unused part of the basic personal allowance if the personal allowance had been £7,500 and the option was restricted to (a) couples with a child aged five years or under; (b) couples with a child aged 11 years or under; (c) couples in receipt of child benefit; (d) couples with a child aged five years or under and the relief were restricted to a maximum of 22 per cent; (e) couples with a child aged 11 years or under and the relief were restricted to a maximum of 22 per cent; and (f) couples in receipt of child benefit and the relief were restricted to a maximum of 22 per cent.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The estimated annual cost of increasing all personal allowances to £7,500 per year, holding all other rates constant, is £14.8 billion. The estimated additional annual cost of making this allowance transferable in the following circumstances, holding all other rates constant:
	(a) for couples with at least one child aged five years or younger is £1.3 billion;
	(b) for couples with at least one child aged 11 years or younger is £2 billion;
	(c) for all couples with children is £2.8 billion;
	(d) for couples with at least one child aged five years or younger, while ensuring that the relief were restricted to a maximum of 22 per cent, is £1 billion;
	(e) for couples with at least one child aged 11 years or younger, while ensuring that the relief were restricted to a maximum of 22 per cent, is £1.5 billion; and
	(f) for all couples with children, while ensuring that the relief were restricted to a maximum of 22 per cent, is £2.2 billion.
	These estimates exclude any behavioural response to the change, which could be significant given the magnitude of the change. Because of the complex nature of this Question, the estimates should be treated with caution.
	The estimates were calculated using the department's tax and benefit model (IGOTM) based on data from the Family Resources Survey 2003–04, uprated to 2005–06 prices.

Terrorism: Suspects

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether any agreement or understanding has been reached with any group about the non-arrest of suspect terrorists in relation to Northern Ireland; if there is any such agreement, what are its terms; and with whom it was agreed.

Lord Rooker: No agreement or understanding has been reached with any group about the non-arrest of suspect terrorists in Northern Ireland. Decisions about the arrest or otherwise of terrorist suspects are matters for the police.

Tourism: Black Pig's Dyke

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have to restore and promote as an attraction the Black Pig's Dyke; and whether they will involve the Government of the Republic of Ireland in these plans.

Lord Rooker: The Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) has advised that in accordance with internationally agreed principles of conservation (as promulgated by International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and other bodies) there are no plans to restore the Black Pig's Dyke (the Dane's Cast).
	The existence of the Black Pig's Dyke/Dane's Cast is already promoted through inclusion on the schedule, as part of the record in the Northern Ireland Monuments and Buildings Record. However as parts of the structures are in private ownership, on private land, opportunities for promotion are limited.
	Blacks Pig's Dyke falls outside the five "signature projects" identified within the strategic framework for action for Northern Ireland tourism 2004-07. The Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) currently has no plans to develop it as a tourist attraction and it is not involved with the Government of the Republic of Ireland to restore or promote Black Pig's Dyke.
	Local authorities also have a level of responsibility for development of tourism attractions within their respective areas. To gain recognition as a tourism attraction local authorities take the lead in highlighting key tourism strengths within their area.

Tourism: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 18 April (WA 222) concerning time taken to pay grants by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, why 29 applications were not paid within 18 months; who the applicants for the grants were; and how much was involved.

Lord Rooker: In most cases payments of grant takes place in a number of instalments and over a period of time which may extend over a number of years.
	When the NITB is processing grant applications the length of time from receipt of application to payment of grant varies from project to project and depends on a number of factors most of which lie within the control of the project provider.
	The following table shows the projects involved.
	
		
			 Project Title Grant Offered Total Paid to date 
			 White Horse Spa and Leisure Centre, Derry 181,764.00 150,476.19 
			 Sixtowns Cross Community Group—caravan and camping facilities 22,307.00 20,891.08 
			 Ballydugan Self Catering Cottages, Downpatrick 120,000.00 16,122.58 
			 Belle Isle (Provision for Disabled Anglers) 6,100.00 3,460.60 
			 Cardinal O'Fiaich Memorial 1,880.00 365.51 
			 National Trust—Visitor Interpretation Facilities at Mount Stewart 96,000.00 96,000.00 
			 Belle Isle—Cookery School 44,819.00 44,500.84 
			 Letterkenny/Limavady Border Towns Initiative—Stepping Out Together 8,000.00 4,602.91 
			 North Fermanagh/South Donegal Promotion 20,000.00 15,392.47 
			 MAGNI—Rehabilitation and Renovation of Interpretation & Exhibits—first claim for payment being processed 570,657.00 0.00 
			 MAGNI—marketing support 414,560.25 26,381.97 
			 Countryside Access and Activities Network (CAAN)—marketing support 106,800.00 25,328.51 
			 CAAN—The Northern Ireland Countryside Recreation Information Centre 51,840.92 51,840.92 
			 CAAN—Waymarked Ways Phase II 81,015.00 8,730.72 
			 The Walled City of Derry—Armada Exhibition, Tower Museum 800,000.00 577,781.29 
			 Foyle Marine Tourism (Derry City Council) 43,105.00 36,980.08 
			 National Trust Springhill House—Multi-Functional Education Facility—first claim for payment being processed 3,834.00 0.00 
			 On Eagle's Wing 30,000.00 25,395.62 
			 BVCB Belfast International Airport—Tourist Information Centre 81,625.00 50,198.57 
			 Francis McPeake International Summer School 2004 5,000.00 5,000.00 
			 North West 200 Race Week Festival 2004—first claim for payment being processed 10,000.00 0.00 
			 FIM World Motorcycle Trials 2004 10,000.00 1,493.37 
			 Irish Congress of Trade Unions Biennial Conference 2005—first claim for payment being processed 65,000.00 0.00 
			 Rotary Annual Conference 2006 65,000.00 22,926.62 
			 International Conference on Managing Urban Land—2005—first claim for payment being processed 25,000.00 0.00 
			 The Boys Brigade N.I. All Ireland Conference 2006—first claim for payment being processed 3,675.00 0.00 
			 Cathedral Quarter Art Festival—2005 5,000.00 3,891.56 
			 Irish Country Lifestyle Festival—2005 13,725.00 11,113.17 
			 North West 200 (2005)—first claim for payment being processed 43,330.00 0.00

Ulster-Scots

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Since the signing of the Belfast Agreement in 1998, what additions have been made to the education courses in Northern Ireland to accommodate Ulster-Scots culture, language and history.

Lord Rooker: The statutory NI curriculum in schools already provides opportunities for school pupils to learn about Ulster-Scots culture and the Department of Education provided support for the publication of primary learning materials, which were launched in April 2006.
	The Department for Employment and Learning provides strategic advice and guidance. However, Northern Ireland's higher and further education institutions, as autonomous bodies, are responsible for their own policies in relation to course provision.

Ulster-Scots Agency

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have to increase the amount allocated to the Ulster-Scots Agency in 2006.

Lord Rooker: The budget allocated to the Ulster-Scots Agency for 2006 is sufficient to enable it to meet the objectives and targets laid out in its corporate and annual business plans agreed and approved after consultation between the agency and its sponsor departments and with the finance departments north and south.

Ulster-Scots Agency

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Ulster-Scots Agency is allowed to spend funding outside the island of Ireland on the same basis as other implementation bodies; and, if so, why it was stopped from doing so from 2001-05.

Lord Rooker: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave on 22 March 2006 (Official Report, col. WA 59).
	The agency was not stopped from incurring such expenditure.

Unemployment: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What percentage of people were unemployed in each council area in Northern Ireland on 1 January in each of the past five years.

Lord Rooker: The percentage of people unemployed, as measured by the claimant count, in each district council area in Northern Ireland in January in each of the past five years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  January 2002 January 2003 January 2004 January 2005 January 2006 
			 District Council Area  
			 Antrim 2.3 2.3 2.4 1.7 1.9 
			 Ards 2.7 2.6 2.9 2.4 2.1 
			 Armagh 2.9 2.8. 2.6 2.4 1.7 
			 Ballymena 2.6 2.4 2.1 1.9 2.1 
			 Ballymoney 3.3 2.1 2.2 2.1 2.3 
			 Banbridge 1.9 1.8 1.5 1.6 1.4 
			 Belfast 5.3 5.0 4.9 4.2 4.2 
			 Carrickfergus 3.0 3.2 2.9 2.4 2.2 
			 Castlereagh 2.0 2.0 1.9 1.3 1.5 
			 Coleraine 4.2 3.9 3.5 4.0 3.0 
			 Cookstown 2.1 2.1 1.9 1.7 1.9 
			 Craigavon 3.1 2.7 2.7 1.8 2.1 
			 Derry 6.9 5.5 5.6 5.3 5.3 
			 Down 3.1 3.2 3.0 2.6 2.3 
			 Dungannon 2.4 2.1 1.9 1.8 1.8 
			 Fermanagh 4.9 4.6 3.9 3.1 2.8 
			 Larne 3.5 3.5 3.3 2.5 2.3 
			 Limavady 4.0 3.5 3.8 3.2 3.1 
			 Lisburn 2.6 2.4 2.2 2.1 2.1 
			 Magherafelt 2.5 1.7 1.6 1.4 1.5 
			 Moyle 5.0 4.0 3.8 3.6 3.2 
			 Newry and Mourne 4.0 3.7 3.1 2.7 2.5 
			 Newtownabbey 2.7 3.2 2.2 2.0 2.1 
			 North Down 2.5 2.4 2.4 2.0 1.8 
			 Omagh 4.2 3.6 3.4 2.6 2.5 
			 Strabane 5.5 5.2 5.3 4.8 4.9

Waterways Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 3 May concerning Waterways Ireland (HL5284), whether any directions were given to that body concerning employment practices, staff harassment and financial control since creation; if so, by whom; and when.

Lord Rooker: I have nothing further to add to my Answer of 3 May (Official Report, col. WA 93).

Waterways Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When Mr SC Flynn of Ardrum, Ballinamore, County Leitrim, will be compensated by Waterways Ireland for land compulsorily acquired in 1991 and for income loss.

Lord Rooker: Waterways Ireland took over responsibility for this matter from a predecessor organisation in 1999.
	It concerns an ongoing and confidential property negotiation. It would not be appropriate for Her Majesty's Government to make further comment.

Waterways Ireland

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many outstanding compensation claim cases against Waterways Ireland are more than three years old; what are the issues in each case; and how much is claimed in each case.

Lord Rooker: There are 10 claims for compensation in respect of land acquisition being negotiated by Waterways Ireland at present which are more than three years old. These are ongoing property negotiation matters which Waterways Ireland treats as confidential. It would not be appropriate for Her Majesty's Government to make further comment.